Driftwood Lane (Nantucket #4)(9)

“I have an extensive list of repairs and projects, and I’m in the process of getting bids.” She perused her list. “You’re licensed for heating and plumbing?”

“Right.” He had a nice voice. Smooth, deep. Like good espresso.

“Let’s start with the boiler then. It’s in the basement.” She wound her way through the dining room and down the wooden stairs, conscious of Jake’s presence behind her. These bids were eating up her days, between the heating, plumbing, carpentry, and electrical problems.

“Well, there she is.” Meridith gestured to the boiler and explained the problem they were having keeping the house warm.

While Jake looked it over, Meridith paced. She’d come to a couple crucial decisions in the past week. Number one: Uncle Jay was not getting his hands on her siblings. She’d heard enough from Ben and Max to realize why she’d been her father’s first choice. The uncle was little more than a vagabond, irresponsible and lacking in good reasoning skills.

Number two: She would accept guardianship of the children. What other choice did she have? She couldn’t let them go to foster care, and according to Mr. Thomas there was no one else. Her fiancé was a reasonable and loving man. He’d understand once she got up the nerve to tell him.

Number three: She couldn’t uproot the children in the middle of the school year. She’d let them finish the year, then they’d move back to St. Louis. She lived in a nice neighborhood in a great school district, and while her house wasn’t huge, there were three bedrooms and a cozy fenced-in yard. Meanwhile, she’d get Summer Place up to snuff so it would sell quickly and painlessly.

She’d finalized the financial matters with Mr. Thomas and signed the guardianship paperwork. T. J. and Eva had a small life insurance policy, but after funeral costs, there wasn’t much left. When she did get the check, she wanted to put it back for the children’s college fund anyway.

Thank goodness there were enough funds in the business bank account to make the repairs on the house. At least, she thought there would be. She was only beginning to receive bids. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much equity in the place, apparently due to a second mortgage Eva and T. J. had taken out a couple years before.

She didn’t know why her father and Eva hadn’t made the repairs already. Some of the problems were potential health risks; others were lawsuits waiting to happen.

Unfortunately, when she’d requested an extension on her leave of absence, her boss denied it. It was the children or her job. She’d chosen the children.

So when she returned to St. Louis, she’d be looking for another job, but with her connections and experience, she was confident she could find one. In the meantime, paying her mortgage back home would eat into her savings, but it couldn’t be helped.

“All right, got what I need,” Jake said.

Meridith led him back upstairs to inspect the dishwasher. Did he have to walk so close behind her? She jogged up the remaining few steps and turned toward the kitchen.

“Nice place,” he said as they entered the kitchen. “Had it long?”

“Uh, no.” She crossed the room, her heels clicking on the tile. “The dishwasher’s been leaking.” She moved in front of the sink.

“Let’s have a look.”

Meridith turned on the faucet and washed her hands, then dried them on a nearby towel. When she turned, Jake was inches away. She hadn’t realized he was so . . . broad. There was something about him. He was like a cougar ready to spring. Contained passion. She pressed her spine to the sink ledge.

His jaw sported at least two days’ stubble. His upper lip dipped in the middle, just the right size for a fingertip.

“Need in there,” he said.

Under the sink. Of course. Heat flared up her neck, into her cheeks. She bolted across the room while he opened the cupboard and sank down to his knees, straining his Levis.

He was so not getting this job.

He looked under the sink, fiddled with the pipes and hose. Meridith turned and stared out the window. The sun sparkled off the water, blinding. The ocean continued for miles, disappearing into a hazy sky.

She was so far from home. So far from all that was familiar. No wonder she was jumpy. Her life was on hold, her job gone. Then again, what did she expect when she’d requested three months’ leave. Still, she’d never taken so much as a vacation.

“Looks like a crimp in the hose. New one, and you’ll be leak-free.”

Well, that was good news. The last guy made it sound worse. Maybe they wouldn’t need a new dishwasher after all.

Jake pressed on the cabinet base. “Looks like you’ve got water damage, though.” He sat back on his haunches.

“I have some carpenters coming to bid on it and a few other projects.”

She pretended to jot a note on her clipboard as he sprang to his feet, surprisingly agile for his height.

“I do carpentry.”

“Are you licensed?”

“In pretty much everything—can build a house from the ground up and then some.”

Oh. Working with one contractor would be more convenient than five or six. But there was still the matter of cost. And the matter of—

Her eyes darted toward him, then back to the clipboard. She found herself hoping for a high bid.

“Well, let me show you the other projects. The first thing I want completed is a divider between the main house and the family wing.” She led him to the staircase. “I’d like a door here with a double cylinder dead bolt. Something heavy-duty like metal and— do you have a notebook or something?”